Girls shopping weekend in Seattle

Mom and Justina and I took Friday off headed to Seattle for our annual girls weekend away.

After stopping at the duty free and Trader Joes we made it down town with time to spare before check in so we headed to the Public market

It was such a beautiful day so we wandered around admiring all of fresh fruit and veggies, beautiful flowers and tables filled with handmade trinkets and gifts.

After checking into the hotel we headed to dinner at Purple Café and wine bar. I had heard good things and let me tell you, it lived up to the hype. We had so much fun sampling the ‘flights’ of wine and chatting it up with our waiter and new friend Chris (who Mom instantly called Muffin). The food was amazing and the ambiance was perfect for our girls night out!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early, and headed out to begin the shopping extravaganza!

Our first stop was Michael Kors, although we have one at home this one had a special feel to it. Maybe because they served us champagne or many because we were in the mood to treat ourselves, and boy did we ever. Justina purchased a watch, a pair of heels and pair of boots. Mom walked away with boots, flats and a matching purse (and she literally walked out of the store in the new flats and bag-she looked fantastic).

I found the perfect sweater for my upcoming Honeymoon to Italy (oh did I forget to mention, ha Chris and I are all booked for July!!). I also treated myself to a gold belt bracelet and stacking rings. I gave one of the four rings to Justina, she’s my Gayle (Oprah and Gayle have BFF rings!!)

Gold belt bracelet

MICHAEL Michael Kors fisherman cable knit sweater

Stack Rings

After walking out feeling pretty good we hit Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom's and Anthropologie. Here are a few of the items I add to my closet from Anthropologie:

Sundown Crochet Maxi Dress

Mixed Media Heels - Purple



Washed Denim button down Shirt

 I love all of the pieces alone but can’t wait to put them all together as well ha.

After all the hard work we stopped for at our favourite lunch spot Lola's. The food is great and and so are the Mimosa's. Also you must ask for the homemade doughnuts (they aren't on the menu)

Once back at the hotel we had a relaxing hot tub then freshened up and headed to dinner at Aqua. My goodness, the food was amazing and of course the Martini's and wine were delicious!!

Me in my recently purchased Christian Louboutins!!

Mom and her Ahi Tuna

The restaurant might have a been a bit of a splurge but wasn’t that the point of the weekend??

Sunday morning we packed up our new treasures and said goodbye to the Fairmont and Seattle.

On the way home we had to hit another Nordstom's for Justina's Alexander McQueen scarf (stunning!). We then stopped at Wal-Mart which was a huge success, we found the Jiff Peanut Butter for Dad (he said not to bother coming if we didn’t find it now that they don’t sell it in Canada)

I love our girls weekends away, but with the amount of money we spent it’s probably smart we only do it once a year!

Delivery!!!

I recently ordered a pair of Jamison Ankle boots by dolce vita. I'd had my eye on them for quite some time and when I found them on http://www.solestruck.com/ with free shipping to Canada I couldn’t resist.

I was thrilled when I saw them waiting for me on the front steps on Friday afternoon. After reading a bunch of reviews I decided to go from my usual 7 ½ to an 8. I was a little worried the extra ½ would make them look too clunky but since the boot is very narrow the size 8 fits like a glove….or a good pair of shoes.

The only hesitation I had when opening the box was that they were a bit more gray then the photo let on. I think next time I would go for the ‘Natural’ vs. ‘Taupe’ The photos on the website were too close to tell the different but to be honest I got over it very quickly and am loving my new ankle boots. I can’t wait to pair them with jeans, skirts, dresses and jean shorts when summer hits. Is bad that I’m contemplating the black pair???

http://www.solestruck.com/dolce-vita-jamison-taupe-suede/index.html

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I’d like to give a big thank you to Foodgawker but more specifically Ambrosia.

 http://www.ambrosiabaking.com/2011/08/red-velvet-cupcakes.html

Last night I successfully made a batch of tasty and delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes for my Valentine! (ok so they may have been a day late and may have been my second attempt but let’s not talk about that).

After checking each step of the recipe approximately 20 times I was delighted when out came a dozen moist, fluffy, deep red cupcakes!

Daumer was so proud.. I was just happy that they didn't come out like hockey pucks again. I unfortunely don't have anyone to blame but myself. I'm thinking it was probably because I was running from the kitchen to the living room to watch the bachelor every two minutes.

I purchased an icing kit with multiple tips and plastic bags from Michaels and once the cupcakes were cool I began swirling on the cream cheese icing. I noticed the icing softened by the time I got to the 9^th or 10^th cupcake from my hands and the kitchen being toasty. I think I should have followed the advice from Ambrosia and not filled the whole bag with icing but now I know for next time.

This has boosted my confidence and got me thinking of the next delicious treat I can make.

What I'm listening to : Pistol Annies

I've always loved Miranda Lambert and her tough redneck country sound so it was no surprise that I instantly loved her new albulm. Although she's a solo artist she's paired up with her two friends and created Pistol Annies.

"It began on a wild hair: Two girlfriends on a giddy whim, calling a third gal late one night with an invitation to join the fun and maybe start a little trouble — and a band." - Miranda

Ashley Monroe (Hippie Annie)

Angaleena Presley (Holler Annie)

Miranda Lambert- Lone star Annie

They're debut album is called hell on heels and it's fun, creative and empowers the redneck women in all of us. Their songs cover things like loving Boys from the South, setting your house on fire, getting married in beige, drinking beers and shooting your husband!

I definitely recommend you check it them out!!

http://www.pistolannies.com/ 

What's your Blues name?

This was up on the bulletin board at the office - what a great way to pass the time on a Friday morning!!

From now on you can all refer to me as : Fat Gumbo Dupree!!!